


Little Roy to the rescue

by redribbonsandprivatejets



Category: Succession (TV 2018)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28484151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redribbonsandprivatejets/pseuds/redribbonsandprivatejets
Summary: “What’s going on Ken? You don’t call me for weeks, don’t reply to emails or messages and then 3 nights in a row, you’re all crying down the phone and calling me cos you’re lost”Kendall spirals and is looked after by Gerri and Roman
Relationships: Gerri Kellman/Roman "Romulus" Roy, Greg Hirsch & Kendall Roy, Kendall Roy & Roman "Romulus" Roy
Comments: 7
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been so inspired by all the amazing work I’ve read for this fandom to start writing again. I’ve been working on this for months, hope you enjoy it!

The front door swung open and in stumbled Kendall followed by a sheepish Roman, Gerri looked up from her laptop and gave a small smile, this was becoming a habit now.

“Gerri what are you doing here?” Kendall raised his arms in the air in an excited greeting.

“Hi Kendall. This is my apartment, has been the past three days, has been the past three years.”

“Ha I knew that. Did I know that? Who knows?” He was almost swaying, it was hard to tell if he was just drunk or high, he reached into his pocket and took out a spliff and lighter out of his pocket.

Gerri looked to Roman, “Not in here and no coke. Take him to the roof.”

“You got bad news for me Gerri, that’s what normally happens to when we’re on a rooftop. No family secret to tip me over the edge?”

Roman touched Kendall’s arm, “come on man, outside, let’s go.”

Gerri’s phone vibrated on the table right on cue and she lifted it to her ear to answer. “Hi, yeah we got him. What the fuck? Yeah ok, ok, see you soon. Yeah, bye.”

“You don’t wanna share my blunt Gerri? Don’t wanna have a little smoke with me?” Kendall smirked waving it in front of his face, he always thought he was funny when he was intoxicated.

She looked back to Kendall, he looked like shit, could barely keep himself together. “Go with Rome, get some air. I’ll wait for Greg.” She said softly, she was tired, didn’t have it in her to be annoyed. 

Roman pulled his arm and opened the door with his other hand. Kendall turned to the door following Roman out of it. “I lost Greg, can you believe that the dude is like 10 foot and I lost him, huh huh.” Kendall laughed.

“Again? We’re gonna get you micro chipped, that asshole as well. Fucking handcuff you together.”

Once they had sat down, Kendall lit the spliff and inhaled, closing his eyes for a second, so fucking dramatic. He offered the spliff to Roman who shook his head and leaned back in the chair, swinging his legs over the side.

“So, do you live here now?”

“No, I still have my apartment, Gerri won’t let me sell it.”

“How would she know? You’re always here anyway.”

“She knows everything and I’m not always here, I go home sometimes. I went home on Monday, we were all at my apartment and you almost threw up on my couch, obviously don’t remember. I was also there yesterday when you Naomi and Greg decided to have your own version of the Jerry springer show at 1 in the fucking morning. I’ll probably go home tomorrow too.” Roman crossed his arms across his chest.

Kendall laughed, “You didn’t propose, did you? And she sent you away?” Roman huffed, fucking Tabitha must have told Naomi about his less than complimentary offer to get married and live platonically ever after. He frowned, his annoyance building, this was not the time to address his romantic failings. How could Ken act like everything was fine, like he hadn’t just found him wandering aimlessly downtown alone, crying and not for the first time that week.

“What’s going on Ken? You don’t call me for weeks, don’t reply to emails or messages and then 3 nights in a row, you’re all crying down the phone and calling me cos you’re lost”

Kendall couldn’t meet his brothers eyes, “I dunno, it was great at first, I was on TV all the time, on all these magazine covers and now, I don’t l know what to do next. I saw Stewy tonight, he…” 

“Oh, fucks sake, back on that bullshit again…”

“No, I didn’t do any coke and I…”

“That is not what I’m talking about and you know it.” Roman snatched the joint out of Kendall’s hand and raised it to his mouth. 

“He’s my best friend, I’ve known him for ever and it’s not like that”

“What, is Naomi into sharing now? Could have told me when I was still with Tabs?”

“You can barely handle one-woman Rome.”

“My woman is very satisfied, thank you. Stop changing the subject.” 

“Don’t think she’d like being referred to as your woman. If anything you’re hers, like her… I don’t have many people left, Stewy always comes back, no matters what happens.”

“You don’t need him or any of those fuckers promising you the world. You have us and fucking Greg and Naomi and your kids.”

“I barely see Iverson and Sophie, Rava says they’re confused why I’m on TV so much and why I don’t have time for them. I was great at first, I took them backstage to a few shows and my schedule was planned to the minute, no thinking time. But it’s pretty empty now, I don’t know what I’m for. Jess left, don’t blame her.”

“You’re the only person who is not fun on drugs.”  
Kendall raised his voice, exasperated. “I told you, I didn’t do any coke, today.” He then realised the volume and stifled a sob. “Could you just give me a hug and not make a stupid joke whilst I fall apart?”

“Come here man, just don’t throw up on me, ok? Sorry, sorry, no jokes.”

“I don’t feel like I’m anything.” Romans arms enveloped him and he rested his chin on the younger mans shoulder, it had been years since they’d been this close. Physical affection had not been encouraged at home unlike competition, rivalry and violence.

Roman spoke gently, as annoying as Kendall was being, he wasn’t doing it on purpose something in him was broken, probably in all of them. “You are something. It’s alright, just...”

They were now facing each other, Roman passes Kendall the joint back. “You’re a good Dad, better than we had. Isn’t that why you did all of that, the press conference, to stay out of prison, for your kids?”

“Only better cos I don’t yell at them or attack them, and I haven’t seen them lately. Rava says they need a routine; I need to see them on the same days each week or it’s disruptive. Can’t get anything right.”

Roman rolled his eyes, Kendall always had to make everything so dramatic and complicated. “Then fix a day to see them, Fridays or fucking Tuesdays or something. Try and show them you give a shit. At least they have each other, they can complain about you together.”

“Yeah I guess it helped a bit that we all had each other, I tried to protect you and Shiv, shield you a bit .. but I could barely take care of myself.”

“You’re a good brother too, you’ve kept Tom out of prison, for Shiv. You’ve stopped me getting hit a few times. Then there’s Greg sprinkles, you fucking rescued him from the shit storm, you and Naomi gonna adopt him or send him back to the orphanage?” That was better, back to defensive humour, Roman had been too serious for all of 4 minutes.

“Hmm, I think we’ll keep him, he has his uses. Little Machiavellian fuck. He’s good for high shelves and carrying shit.” Kendall mused, Greg was weird and awkward but he actually liked having him around, he didn’t have the bite that the rest of the Roy’s possessed. He could be kind and Kendall needed some of that.

“And Naomi? Still enjoying the ride on that particular rollercoaster?”

“I like having her around, I miss her when she’s not. She’s good with the kids too. Feels like a family when I’m with them all. But she parties so hard; she makes me feel old and she’s only like 5 years younger. How about you? You managed to launch your rocket, Apollo Gerri.”

“Successful launch, excellent mission and safely returned to earth. And no one even lost a thumb this time.”

They both laugh, Kendall inhales on the joint and passes to Roman who accepts and then inhales himself, “And you didn’t just propose right there and then in your weird way.”

“Nope, no proposals as of yet. I did suggest it once before anything really happened, but it was more of a not wanting to be away from her kind of thing. I think she was confused.”

“No proposals, you must actually want her to stick around.”

Gerri and Greg joined them, Gerri moving Roman’s feet down and sitting down as he swept an arm over the back of the chair. She took the joint from where it had dangled from his fingers next to her shoulder and raised it to her mouth and inhaled, before handing it back to Kendall. 

“Gerri, you dark horse, didn’t know you smoked?”

“You’ve all driven me to it. Where’s Naomi? Surely this clean up should be her operation?”

“Venice.” The three men chorused

“Please don’t tell me all this is because your girlfriend is on a girl’s trip!”

“He saw Stewy tonight.” Roman sighed

“Fuck, please tell me you didn’t sign anything or snort anything or shake on anything.”

“Did you know about this Greg?” Roman stared across Kendall, scowling at Greg.

“Not until we got there… Stewy did his, ‘let’s go somewhere...’ thing and pulled him away, I couldn’t see where they went.”

Roman spat back in reply. “Bathroom more than likely. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist Greg, they’re hardly original.”

“I didn’t take anything or agree to anything. We just drank. I’ve missed Stewy, missed you guys, how things used to be.”

“I miss when my home was a Roy free zone. yes Greg, you’re included, you’re a Roy.”

“Uh sorry, or thanks? Ummm…”

They all chuckled at Greg’s awkwardness, he was learning but still said weird stuff 80% of the time, he was still in need of some media training, a confidence he was missing. Gerri leaned back and relaxed into Roman’s side, passing the joint back to Kendall over Romans lap.

Kendal smiled at her as he to the joint back between his fingers. “Nah you love us Gerri, especially little Roy there, fuck up number three.” Kendall laughed Roman scowled at him, his eyes piercing.

“Well you know what they call you, fuck up number two? Hamlet. He killed his Dad, was a shitty boyfriend and went fucking crazy, started seeing shit. Two down.”

“That’s not exactly what happens in Hamlet.” Gerri said, too tired to explain further, resting her head on Roman’s shoulder, to calm herself as well as him, she could feel the annoying building in him.

Greg chirped in “Yeah Hamlet’s Dad is actually killed by his uncle who marries his Mom to be become King. Then his Dad haunts Hamlet and tells him and then he goes crazy and then his girlfriend goes crazy and then they both die; her brother poisons him with a sword as sort of revenge...”

Roman “Fucking nerd, you been hanging out with Frank?”

Greg “No, I don’t need a babysitter. Sorry I read a play; it was actually Naomi who lent it to me.”

“Well at least you got that to look forward to Ken, a good old haunting from Pops.”

Gerri tilted her head towards Kendall, she’d kept an eye on the gossip sites after Kendall’s earlier performances that week but hadn’t spotted him that night. “Where even were you guys tonight? I didn’t see any pictures.”

“We went to dinner at PerSe and then electric room, that’s where Stewy was and after that I dunno...”

“What did Stewy even want?” Roman questioned.

“He said he wanted to see me, I thought… maybe he still cared about me. He said we could keep things separate, there’s so much history between us.”

“You can’t trust him Ken, how many fucking times!”

“I know, I know that now.”

Roman was bouncing his leg, wanted to stand up and pace across the roof and scream at Kendall. Gerri put her hand on his knee, and it stilled, he sighed. 

“It’s hard seeing someone destroy themselves over and over again it’s been over twenty years Ken.”

“I’m sorry Rome. Thanks for always being there.”

Roman looks down at Gerri’s hand on his leg like it’s the only thing holding him together, he wanted to cover her hand with his, he really wanted someone to say something funny but it was normally left to him. Even a stupid comment from Greg would help to lighten the mood. 

The first night he’d brought Kendall back, he and Gerri had sat with him each nursing a whiskey until he fell asleep and Roman had kept watch over him, sleeping next to him in the spare room at Roman’s, spending most of the night just staring at him, scared that Kendall could slip away anytime if he took his eyes off him. At least Kendall was coherent sat with them on the roof, if not a little weepy but his pupils a normal size and not too bloodshot.

“It’s nice up here, quiet.” Greg commented, looking around at the space and stretching his legs out in front of him. He had the joint now and inhaled it as it reached his mouth.

Gerri had had plans, a space for her to escape the huddle and bustle and watch the stars, but as usual Waystar had deterred them or at least placed them on hold. “I don’t really come up here much. When I first moved in, I want to have a garden, flowers and plants and …”

“Fairy lights!” Roman added.

Gerri smiled at that, imagining the roof filled with greenery and bright colours and twinkly lights. “Yeah perhaps, I haven’t gotten round to it yet, I didn’t even get these chairs, it was Roman.”

“I would have gotten more if I’d known we were having company, could’ve had a bar installed and some of those little heaters.”

“I’ve been too busy trying to keep my job and stay out of prison.”

“Yeah sorry I dropped you in it with those NDAs a little.” Kendall mumbled, looking down at this lap.

“Nothing I can’t handle, you go in front of congress once, you go in front of them a hundred times, right?”

Greg shifted at the memory of his time in front of the senate committee, “I think it’s the scariest thing I’ve lived through and that’s including this one time I was stuck in an elevator for 4 hours and when I drove my grandpa here for thanksgiving. Or that time I was in the safe room with Tom and he was throwing all those bottles at me. But congress, fuck; the questions, the stares, cameras in your face the whole time...”

“I think it was pretty much the worst week in living memory and I’ve been at Waystar 30 odd years and my husband is dead. Get to do it all again, three weeks and counting.”

“Yeah I’m back then too. Greg doesn’t have to speak thank fuck.”

“No Ken you can’t have a ride on the plane. Gerri, you wrote a few NDAs, it’s not like it’s part of your job or anything. You didn’t force anyone to sign them or pay anyone off, it was the outside firm that did that. You’ve told them enough times, you’ve given the same deposition over and over, even I know it by heart. Just give them one of your cold stares.” Roman put his hand on Gerri’s and linked their fingers together 

“Yeah Rome I’ll stare them out, blank all their questions. One of the few times a room of mostly men are gonna be listening to everything I say and analysing it within an inch of their lives, I’ll just stare at them.” Roman was sweet to try, but he didn’t understand, he had been in the senate room or the war room, everyone on edge. 

“Fine, I don’t know anything about congressional hearings, I was too busy being held hostage whilst you all had your little dress rehearsal.”

“God always back to the hostage Rome. It was in the four seasons, man, you were basically on a spa day!” Kendall chuckled, Roman held his tongue, held in all the cruel things he could say about how actual he’d been affected badly by the hostage and then the events on the yacht and press conference, not that Kendall would know as he’d been avoiding them for weeks. 

“Yeah cos I’d choose to go anywhere with Karl and Laird and have a gun pointed in my face. Although if it was between that and another one of Dad’s death cruises.”

Ken cleared his throat, not wanting to think about the ‘death cruise’ and what came after. “In better news Gregory here, has a date.” 

Roman “Ooh a new hooker with a heart of gold, how much you are paying this one?”

Kendall retorted “Not as much as we pay Gerri to keep you entertained!”

“Uh we pay Gerri for legal advice… and she’s right here, asshole. How many times you kept him out of jail this year Ger? Two? Three? Might not be so lucky next time.”

Gerri sighed and rolled her eyes, not in the mood for a Roy sibling scrap. “It’s three. Ignore them, that’s nice Greg.”

“She’s actually a paralegal. Her name is Amy.” Greg smiled across the roof shyly.

“There’s something sexy about a woman and the law.” Roman waggled his eyebrows at Gerri, stroking his thumb across her knuckle.

“Where did you meet her?” Gerri asked searching her mind to see if she knew an Amy or if she could be a plant by Logan, a meet arranged to keep tabs on Greg and Ken. She had no recollection but thought she would run a background check, ask around just in case. 

“I like walked into her in the club the other night, like literally, when I was trying to find Kendall and she was like waiting for her friend and we got talking and she’s just moved to New York and we’re gonna have drinks.”

“She’s real, I’ve seen her. Hey, did you know…” Kendall put his hand to his nose. “Oh fuck.”

“You’re bleeding, come on.” Gerri stood and took Kendall’s arm, taking him back into the apartment building.

They were stood in the kitchen now by the sink, Kendall was holding a bundle of tissues to his nose, Gerri had a bundle in her hand waiting to replace them, always prepared to clean up a mess of the Roy’s making, though not usually such a literal one.

“Roman’s weird tonight. He keeps saying nice things and then biting my head off.”

“He’s worried about you. You haven’t been answering his calls, and you’ve been all over page 6.”

“Roman doesn’t worry about things. Apart from what you think.”

“He jumps when his phone rings, doesn’t know if you’ll be in some alleyway or hospital or worse.”

“You know every time I’ve woken up in hospital Roman’s been there. He even came back from England one time; my dad didn’t even leave his meetings. I hate doing this to him he got so mad about Stewy, he always does. He doesn’t understand.”

“Whatever your thing is with Stewy. It’s not my business, just be careful. Don’t let him drag you down, I know he’s an attractive alternative and he can be useful, and you have history but be careful.”

“What about you and little Roy? Did he crash into your orbit and alter the landscape? Can’t believe I didn’t see it earlier, all he’s said this year is ‘Gerri says’, ‘where’s Gerri?’ and ‘I’m gonna ask Gerri’”

“We work well together. He surprised me, he’s continuously surprising me.”

“I’m sorry about what I said before, about us paying you. I didn’t mean anything by it, you’re not Willa. You aren’t just an employee to us”

“I’ve had worse and I am an employee, of Waystar, not the Roy’s, not in that way.”

“You’re good for Roman, you’ve calmed him down. I didn’t think there was anyone who could do that.”

“I don’t think I can take all the credit. He has a lot more responsibility now, a lot more at stake if he screws up. He’s focused.

“He held your hand, he doesn’t normally like that. Like he held your hand, not like ‘hey everyone, look at my hot girlfriend.’ But like ‘I’m glad you’re here. Don’t go away.”

“After what happened in turkey and on the boat and after your press conference, things changed. Everything looked different. None of us are the same.”

“Here.” She took the bloodied tissue from him and raised the clean bundle to his nose in its place. Kendall raised his hand to hold it limply as Gerri threw away the bloodied ones in her hand.

“How are you doing Gerri? Since everything blew up.”

“I’m fine, tired. Up to my neck in litigation, still, but we’re working through it. Should be worth it if it keeps us out of jail, gets justice for those women and people learn from it.”

“You’ve always gone way beyond for all of us. We wouldn’t have let it be you, me and Rome. He would have been… He likes you, a lot, he doesn’t like a lot of people. What I did, It was never about you or Roman or Shiv or… it was always about bringing him down, making him pay for what he’s done to us.”

“You don’t need to say all this but thank you. When do you see Sophie and Iverson next?” She raised her hand to his, guiding his hand so his tissues were covering his bloodied nose.

“Uh Saturday if I’m sober. Sophie has a dance show and I’ll then we’ll probably have pizza or whatever, might get a diner closed down for the afternoon.”

“They’ll love that, will Naomi be back in time?”

“Yeah she only went for a family vote so she’s back Friday. You hear from Dad?”

“Yeah, he calls, yells at me and tells me to do things that aren’t physically possible or logical. Oh, and he’s put Connor in charge of the RECNY.”

“What? Goodbye expressive dance and poor kids learning the violin and hello tax havens in the desert?”

“It looked that way, but I convinced him to let Willa help, she can maintain the creative side and Connor’s more the… event planning side. Think it was Logan’s last-ditch attempt to hold on to some power, make a decision and we needed to do something to keep Connor busy.”

“One less speech for you to make. It’s traditionally CEO, but things are hardly traditional anymore.”

“Yes, I’m very happy to duck out of that one, we’ll still have to go though I imagine.”

“It makes sense, Connor and the RECNY, it was his Mom’s charity really, be nice if something good came from it, if he and Willa can continue her legacy, rather than…”

Gerri knew not to give too much away, and Kendal knew not to push, they both laughed at the idea of Connor and Willa hosting the RECNY ball, the Wasp crowd and Willa’s artist and actors friends all in one place. But Gerri was secretly confident of Willa. It was always the women who held things together.

Greg reached the end of the joint and looked around, trying not to panic that there was nowhere to dispose of it, he nervously dropped it on the floor, stamping it into the ground.

“So, like what’s the deal with Kendall and Stewy? Cos you seem really mad about it.” Kendall behaved strangely, more than usual every time stewy was seen or mentioned and he was curious, some dark shit must have gone down.

Roman sighed and rolled his eyes, he was so bored of this. “They’ve had this Brokeback mountain thing going on since college, high school probably. But it’s more than that, like anything that goes wrong for Kendall, look to the left and there’s Stewy.”

“Oh yeah, the takeover bids, I remember.”

“Anytime Kendall ended up in hospital, Stewy. Anytime he cheated on Rava, Stewy. Any deal that goes bad, Stewy. He probably thinks there’s like some twisted kind of love there or something. Stewy trying to rescue the poor little Prince. He seems to pull Kendall off the ledge, but I dunno, he’s normally the reason he’s ended up there.”

“I didn’t know, I thought they were old friends, I mean they look at each other kind of weird but… there’s a lot of that about.”

“Next time Ken hears from Stewy or wants to see him or whatever, you gotta call one of us. Okay? God you were supposed to be watching him, isn’t that what we pay you for?” Roman lifted his knees and curled into the seat.

Greg puzzled, missing the point entirely. “I’m not sure who pays me now, I dunno if it’s still Waystar or its Kendall. I mean money comes into my bank, quite a lot of it, I don’t wanna be ungrateful… I called Gerri when I couldn’t find Kendall tonight.”

“Yeah well I heard nothing for 3 weeks and look at the state he’s in. Like don’t spoil his fun or make it obvious and don’t let on to Stewy, he can be useful. But you know, look out for Kendall. He gets hurt every time, between dad and Stewy, he didn’t stand a chance. No wonder he always looks someone just kicked a puppy.

“Ok, watch out for Kendall, keep him alive, call if there’s even a mention of Stewy but don’t let on to either of them.”

“Yeah basically. Are you really gonna see that chick?” He didn’t really care but was it was fun to mess with Greg.

Greg blushed, was this a trap. Roman wasn’t normally this chatty. “Yeah I mean she was really pretty.”

“Anything else going on?”

“Um the other day I saw Tom, him and Shiv are a little on and off still, mostly off I think. They’re in couples therapy but like he’s still pretty mad. Think they’re trying to save face to be honest.”

“Wouldn’t you be? Serves him right though, marrying into this mess of a family. Does he have any plans?” Roman laughed, they had no choice but Tom had willingly joined the Roy’s, idiot.

“Yeah I mean it was pretty shit when she offered him as the sacrifice and then you with your fucking Greg sprinkles. Tom seems mad but like angrier at me and Shiv than anyone else.”

“I had to save Gerri; she was not taking the fall for all the cruises fucking mess. She’s basically the reason we’re still here. You were smart though, saving yourself the way you did by teaming up with Kendall. You tell anyone I said anything nice and I’ll throw you off this roof and passers-by will just step over you like roadkill.” Roman casually threatened, he would throw anyone off a room for Gerri, it wasn’t personal. 

“Umm I’m not sure if it classes as nice exactly, you saying I was smart for helping Kendall. No one would believe me anyway and people don’t step over roadkill, I don’t think, don’t they just like throw it at the side of the road?”

“What does she look like, this chick? You got her Instagram?”

“Uhh yeah...” Greg fished his phone out of his pocket and opened the app, searching for his date and passing the phone to Roman.

“She’s hot if you like that sort of thing. But I thought you were into guys?”

“Well sort of both, I mean my preference is more guys but… in high school and the few semesters I did at college…”

Roman waved his hand dismissively in Greg’s direction, “Yeah ok, this one time at band camp, don’t need your fucking life story. Just be with whoever you want, don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“You’re nicer since you’ve been with Gerri. Ooh no don’t message hey nooo. Roman!” Greg tried to take his phone back off Roman who laughed and changed the hand he was holding it in so it was even further away from Greg, who had almost caught it with his freakishly long arms.

Kendall lifted the tissue away from his nose, “Is it still bleeding? It doesn’t feel like its bleeding anymore.” Gerri leaned forward and inspected his face “let me see, come here.” She gave a small smile, “I think you’re good.” 

Kendall attempted a chuckle, managing only say in a rather high pitched mock tone “Can you believe this came from me not doing any coke tonight.”

Gerri tilted her head and furrowed her brow, “You think you might need some help Ken? You could go back to Switzerland, no interruptions this time? You could do the full program. Might be just what you need?” Always the problem solver. 

Kendall looked down, frowning “No, no, I don’t think I’m there yet. I wanna be around for the kids. Rava says I can see them, but it has to be the same every week, like a routine.”

“Ok, maybe somewhere in New York still? That’s good. Routine is good.” She was dabbing at his nose, trying to remove the dried blood with a new tissue. She stepped back and threw away the tissue away. “You need someone from legal or are you just gonna talk about it with Rava and your personal team?” She asked, planning two or three agreements in her mind almost instinctively. 

“Why are you doing this?”

“You’re at my apartment and you were bleeding, it’s just some tissues and you probably won’t remember any of this in the morning.”

“No, I mean Waystar and all of us, all of this. Youcould have walked away years ago. You’re still taking care of things.”

“Probably Stockholm syndrome, it’s bad for me but I love it, I should want to leave, but I just can’t.”

“Thanks Gerri seriously. You could have said no, not let me in tonight. I know I’ve not made your life easy recently.”

“Kendall I’ve known you a lot of years, most of your life. I’ve seen you be shut out in the cold too many times. Never did you any good, tough love. I always thought it would be you, after your Dad’s stroke, I thought that was it. You always listened and took our advice, you were good. But when he came back and played all those games with you all, dangling the carrot and snatching it away.”

Kendall’s eyes widened in surprise, “You thought it would be me, like I could do it?”

“Yeah at the time, but now I think Stewy got one thing right, maybe your best chance is away from Waystar. You needed to get out, clean break.”

“I’ve never planned to go anywhere else; I didn’t really plan much ahead after my press conference. I’ve spent almost my whole adult life there, Roman and Shiv are still there. Walking away, I never considered that I’d lose them as well as my father.”

“You all need to learn to be a family, separate from the business. You aren’t in competition anymore, you can talk to each other, you haven’t lost them.”

“You think Rome will still be mad at me?”

Gerri gave a small smile. “ Just answer when he calls, let him know you’re still alive and if you wanna see him, try make it before midnight and try be sober.”

“Maybe I need to… I dunno… I wish…”

“Maybe you need to lie down? You think you can make it to the bedroom tonight?”

“Gerri are you trying to get me into bed? You could have just said, you don’t have to settle for second best with Romey.” Kendall attempted to tease

“Yeah that’s exactly what I’m trying to do, you got me.” Gerri rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.

“No couch for Kendall tonight.” He waggled his fingers in the air looking towards the hallway, god he was such a dad.

Gerri tilted her head to the hallway, “Second on the left, bathroom is to the right. Go on, you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Kendal did as he was told and turned around to walk away and looked over his shoulder at Gerri. 

“Maybe I can see someone in the city? So, I can still be around?” He asked hopefully.

“I’ll make some calls; you still have Jess?

“Nope she left, she hates Stewy too. Night Gerri.”

“Night Kendall.”

Gerri had taken Kendall’s clothes and folded them in the couch, checking for drugs and surprisingly finding none. She sat back at her laptop and tried to read the report still on the screen from hours earlier. Greg and Roman ambled back into the apartment.

“Where’s Ken?” 

“He’s in bed.”

“Did you…?”

Gerri pointed towards the pile of clothes on the sofa, “This isn’t my first rodeo. All clean.”

Roman walked over to Gerri and put his hands on her shoulders, kissing her softly. “Thank you for doing that, for taking control with Kendall. Letting him stay.”

“It’s okay. I guess you’re all staying now, full house tonight.”

Gerri looked past Roman in front of her to Greg who was awkwardly ambling behind a couch “Greg you can go in with Ken, there’s some spare things laid out on the chair next to the bed. “

“Oh thanks. Are you sure?” Greg shuffled his feet and smiled tiredly.

“Can’t have a strange man sneaking out of my apartment in the middle of the night and someone needs to be on Kendall watch.”

Roman added “Just make sure he’s breathing ok and doesn’t choke or anything.”

“Um ok yeah.”

Gerri “Come get us if he gets a bad nosebleed that won’t stop or he passes out and you can’t wake him. He’s in the room second on the left, bathroom is to the right.

“Uh sure. Thanks again umm… Goodnight”

Greg headed off towards the hallway and into the bathroom Gerri had told him about.

Roman lifted the covers and climbed into Gerri’s bed, turning to face her and resting his head on his fist, balancing on his elbow. “Isn’t it cool that you get to stay up late with the young fun Roys instead of the old guard doing boring shit.”

Gerri took off her glasses and placed them on her bedside table before turning over to face him. “It was great, smoking weed on a roof with three guys who haven’t quite grown up yet, takes me back to college.”

“It was nice on the roof. We should go up there more often.”

“Yeah it’s never been so busy. I’m normally very selective with my guests and no one gets to see the roof. But no ones tried to smoke a joint in my living room before either.”

“If you’re so selective, why’d you let greg come round? He’s a stupid asshole.”

“Because he knows things and he tells me those things. He goes pretty much everywhere with your brother and he recently met with Tom. Try see people’s usefulness, don’t just rule them out as an asshole. Plus he lives with Ken I thought he might take him home like he and Naomi did last night.”

“No such luck she picked the right time to fuck off to Pierce palace. Almost like she saw this fucking coming. Planned her escape in advance and Greg’s fucking useless on his own.”

“She hasn’t escaped, she’s back Friday, they have the kids Saturday if they’re sober. Sophie has a dance show.”

“How likely do you think that’ll be? More chance of my dad winning the fucking Nobel peace prize.”

Gerri paused before suggesting “You think we should talk to Frank maybe? Get him to meet with Ken? I know he misses him, loves him as much as we do.”

“We do?”

“You think I’d be doing this if I didn’t care? Like I just let anyone on my roof? Stay over at my apartment?”

“You love Kendall? You haven’t even said that to me yet.”

“Personally, I care greatly for him, I’m worried about him and I don’t like how his behaviour affects you. But professionally I want to wring his neck and push him off the roof. He’s landed me with a whole lot of shit I could have done without. This litigation is going to stretch on at least a year.”

“We aren’t supposed to be talking to him, are we?”

“No, not strictly. Don’t tell any of the lawyers or anyone about this. I know it’s hard, him and Greg are still family. As long as we aren’t talking about the lawsuits and the litigation details and we aren’t pictured out with them, it should be ok. Just try get them to come over sober and before midnight and bring Naomi too, otherwise its just like the office. Looks too much like a meeting, we have to be careful, thank god for the underground car park and those easily bribed security guards.”

“Why you all over Naomi? You like her?”

“I’m not but it can’t hurt to have someone by Kendall’s side that we know. She’s never gonna sell a story on him cos he’d just do the same. She’s like, you guys if someone had read you bedtime stories and hugged you when you were kids.”

“Is this like the first time we’ve ever actually got into bed next to each as opposed to falling into bed, or just fucking on the bed?”

“We don’t normally have half of your family for a sleepover.”

“What’s gonna happen tomorrow night I wonder? Hey maybe your family will turn up drunk or need rescuing?”

“Shiv’s gonna come crying to us cos Tom’s cheated on her this time. Or Greg has a breakdown cos California pizza kitchen has closed.” Gerri chuckles

“Ahaha yes Ger, savage! But how could that happen when Greg is here?” Roman raised an ayebroe in question before winking at her.

“We are not getting into whatever is or was going on with Tom and Greg. You need to talk to Kendall. Something has happened, he was doing well.”

“Making our lives way fucking difficult.”

“Yeah but he seemed sort of… confident in his decision. Away from your Dad, he…”

“Didn’t have that dead look in his eyes. I know what you mean, he was good, making things happen.”

“I’ll make some calls, get him a therapist, see if I can tempt Jess back.”

“Call Frank too, he always helped Kendall out, even tried with me and Jess stuck it out for years, what do we do to bring her back?”

“Up her salary a ton and let her know that’s it’s the women who run things now and she’s a big part of that. Also give her an assistant too or tell her Greg will do what ever she says.”

“Worth a shot, she seemed to hold things together with Ken a lot of the time. Might help having some one watch over them. Stupid fuckers.”

“Who Ken doll and Barbie? I think they’re well suited, they just need something to focus on, to keep them away from…”

“Sticking stuff up their noses all day and night and making shady deals… Ha Kendoll and Barbie, I love that! You come up with that?”

“It was Karolina but it’s genius. I think he’s missed you, you’re his favourite, secretly.”

“Umm I’m everyone’s favourite, Gerri. Connor is an idiot, Kendall is too serious and Shiv is scary and bitchy. I’m your favourite Roy and…”

“I’m not sure I mean Shiv is my goddaughter as she loves reminding everyone so that’s gotta count for something…” Gerri teased, running her hand through the front of his hair, pushing it back from his forehead.

“Take that back now Kellman! Considering the noise you were making last night and this morning come to think about it... Screw being your favourite Roy, I’m obviously your favourite person in the world!”

“I was talking about you and your siblings and you know that. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Fine enlighten me, let’s see what you got after your decades of observation.”

“Well Connor’s favourite is Shiv because she’s his baby sister and your dad always sends her to deal with him, but he doesn’t realise, he thinks she just likes to check on him. Kendall stole his crown and you’re mean to him about his mom and Willa.”

Roman nodded “So far so good, Connor just has one of those faces you want to insult, right? Kendall next!”

“Kendall’s favourite is you because you used to look up to him and obviously, he got to torture you when you were kids, so he had power over you. But you always save him and you haven’t stabbed him in the back lately, you pull him out of those weird warehouse dungeons even now and never tell anyone. It’s Shiv on the rare occasion she can help him with your dad and you’re making mean jokes about his drug stuff and his divorce.”

“Woah you’re getting deep now. Do Shiv next!”

“Shiv’s favourite is whoever can help her get ahead. But I think she enjoys your shitty jokes when they’re about anyone apart from her husband and the fact that she can always beat you in a fight.”

“She doesn’t win, she’s just scrappy, she’s all kneeing you in the balls and nails everywhere, like an alley cat. You’re right though she’s would totally sell us all out to save herself.”

“She is scrappy but I’m glad to have her on our side. She’s smart, but not as smart as she thinks. Don’t think she realised how much hard work there is still to be done. You’re just a sore loser.”

“Am not, she doesn’t fight fair! Anyway, I’m a lover not a fighter, you know that Ger.”

“Hmmm… we can’t tonight... They’re only next door.”

“Sorry about your, what was it you said, your Roy free zone. Thank you for taking care of Kendall, I hate blood and his nose bleeds just make me angry!”

“I wasn’t going to just leave him bleeding. I’m not as cold as you think I am, you know.”

“I know. You’re actually a sweetheart underneath it all.”

“What?! N-No I’m not ...”

“That or you’re a messy bitch who loves drama!”

“I think you could be projecting a little bit there, I thought I was a stone-cold killer bitch.”

“Hmm it’s all an act, but I’ll keep your secret. You laugh and you smile, you have a heart and feelings, like a normo.”

“You tell anyone and you are dead, little Roy.”

“Is that really what they all call me? They couldn’t think up anything better after all the stupid shit I’ve done over the years. I’ve given them so much material!”

“Sometimes they call you the punchbag. But when you were in LA and only came back for board meetings, mostly the thinking was your dad didn’t used to pay much attention so why spend time thinking of a nickname, hence little Roy. Obviously things are different now you’re a rockstar COO, you want me to get them all to start calling you that? Or is that just for me?

R “Fuck you.”

G “Not with that attitude.” She placed a hand on his chest to keep him at a distance.

R “Can I at least kiss you?”

G “I don’t know, can you?”

Roman leaned in and kissed her, soft and tired, hesitantly pulling away, he scrunched up his face, her hand resting at the top of his thigh.

“Hmm that was a good effort.”

“Uhh don’t tease me.”

“Oh but it’s the only fun we can have tonight. Still on Kendall watch. Still need to be careful.”

Gerri leaned in to kiss him this time, her other hand on his cheek to calm him. Roman clearly distracted, he always was when it came to Kendall, always scared, often angry.

Roman sat back against his pillows and folded his arms, “Can you believe we’re still pulling him out of those hellholes? I thought that would be down to Greg and Naomi, now I’m an important COO and they’re fucking neighbours.”

“Yeah you’d think so, especially with them all going home to the same apartment now.” Gerri agreed

Wait why does Greg live with them? They’re all fucking roommates? I thought he had his own apartment next door or whatever.”

“He did but it was bugged. So they didn’t think it was safe anymore. I think he wants to go back next week.”

“By who? My dad? How? That’s fucked up.”

“Yeah must have been Logan. He’ll have had Greg watched for days, had someone sneak in.”

“Eurgh it’s creepy. Greg’s an idiot but he doesn’t deserve that. You don’t think they’d bug this place do you?” He was looking around frantically trying to find ideal points for a bug to be placed.

“Nope I have it swept every other week. Maybe our offices though.”

“You do?”

“Yes, Tuesdays at 10am.”

“Really?”

“No I’m kidding. I’ve only had it swept a few times over the years. Never found anything. Our secrets are safe.”

“I’m tired of everything being a secret, like it was hot to start with, sneaking around, but its hard now.” Roman huffed. “I’ve never had to hide a relationship before, but I want to protect you and I‘m not the guy people call for help, so if someone sees me with Ken or here or whatever..urgh.”

“Kendall called you for help. He couldn’t remember how to get home or probably his own name, but he thought of you. He said every time he’s woken up in hospital you’ve been there, you even flew back from England.”

“I didn’t want him to wake up on his own and who else was gonna turn up. Yeah well never again, he can call Shiv or Stewy or his girlfriend or kris Jenner for all I care. I’m gonna ignore him for 3 weeks and see how he likes it and then call him crying cos I’m lost in my own fucking city.” He proclaimed dramatically, waving his hand in the air.

“Yeah Rome that’ll show him, 3 weeks of sulking. You be the bigger person.” Gerri chuckled stroking her hand through his hair again, soothing him through his racing thoughts.

“It’s not funny Ger, it’s all I got, I’m not scary and powerful like you.”

“I’ve had to work at it a lot over the years, I’m actually a sweetheart underneath it all remember?”

“I’m glad you’re here. These next few months are going to be hell.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want you to go back to Washington for the stupid hearings.” He uttered, it was so unfair dragging Gerri back there to repeat the same thing that she hadn’t know about the stuff from the 90s as she hadn’t been general counsel then and Bill or Baird hadn’t disclosed the clean up to her when she had taken the role and the NDAs were from a outside firm.

“I know honey me either, but you know, the government… and it’s not for long, should be the last time they need me unless your Dad ends up in court. But then it’ll probably be in New York and we’ll both have to speak more than likely. But at least we’d be in the same city.” She gave a small smile, she didn’t like them being apart either, she had spend years alone, but had not grown accustomed to his presence, it being to quiet when he wasn’t there.”

“I hate that I can’t be there with you this time too. It’s not like I’ll be been held hostage again.” He sighed.

“I know, but whilst I’m out there this time singing and killing shit, need you at home cooking the soup and making sure the numbers are right.” Gerri laughed, damn she had thrown his own words right back at him, although he softened at the thought that she hadn’t forgotten that night he had come to her at Argestes, proposing details of their partnership.

“How’s that for a role reversal huh? I could get used to that being your little househusband, as well as your work husband. Or would it be penthouse boyfriend? I like husband better, penthouse husband…” Roman mused, giggling.

“Go to sleep, asshole." She lay down and turned away from him smiling and closing her eyes, the temptation of sleep too strong to resist. Roman shuffled down under the covers and slung an arm over her waist, placing a kiss to the nape of her neck.

"Sweet dreams, bitch.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is finally here! I really enjoy writing this group dynamic and if I can think of a good idea hopefully I’ll continue! But for now, enjoy hanging out in Gerri’s apartment!

Greg stumbled out of the bathroom, it was much nicer than his, not that he had been in there much recently, with it being bugged. This one had fancy soaps and lotions, he wasn’t sure his hands had ever been so soft or he’d ever spent that much time washing his hands. He should probably make more effort, he decided he would when he was allowed back in, would try and be better and start with the small things. He wandered further into the living space, squinting at the sunlight streaming in from the windows on the far side of the room, eventually reaching the sofas in the living room. 

“Morning.” Gerri startled him, as if it would have been a surprise to find her stood in her own kitchen drinking coffee and scrolling through her emails. Greg tried to cover his fright with a slight grimace, “Hey, morning, umm I didn’t know if… umm.”

“Did you sleep ok? Is Kendall still asleep?”

“Yeah he had a few nightmares I think, but he’s alright now. Tired I think.”

“Roman is the same, probably a good idea to let them both rest. Do you want some coffee?”

“Sure thanks, I can do it if you’re busy, ma’am.”

“Don’t be silly, you aren’t my assistant and it’s my apartment, you can just call me Gerri.” Gerri laughed as she manoeuvred smoothly around the kitchen filling a mug matching hers with steaming coffee.

“Sorry, old habits die hard.” Greg blushed, he was still unsure of the social world he had found himself in.

“You wanna sit down?” She asked gesturing to the sofa behind Greg, “I don’t have to leave yet and we’re haven’t spoken for a while.”

“Ah yeah can do, we can do that. That’d be nice.” Greg resisted the urge to do finger guns and took the mug she handed him before moving to the sofa. 

Gerri sat a space away from him, she tilted her head, curious. “Greg is there something bothering you?”

Greg stared down at his mug, it would be easier to list things that weren’t bothering him. “How do you like know what to do? When they… like with Kendall when he goes all sad or crazy.”

Gerri tried to smile, it was almost sad when you thought about it. “I’ve known them all a long time Greg, they didn’t grow up right. They didn’t have rules so they’re used to getting their own way, money pretty much has fixed all their problems, any trouble they got into until now.”

Greg placed his mug on the coaster in front of him and looked back up at Gerri. He was like on fire after the conference and when he was on tv and stuff, but then things changed like… he was going on about his dad and…”

“They were taught, everything was for the company or to please and impress Logan.. They were isolated, emotionally suppressed and lacking of joyful memories. Kendall has always been the most emotional of them, what he’s done, it’s bound to be difficult for him, it’s hard to just cut ties.” Gerri disclosed, hoping greg would share little more, help her prepare for whatever crisis was coming next.

“Kendall’s so sad and angry. He’s done like so much to help me, like keeping me outta jail and getting me an apartment even if it did get bugged, giving me a job and letting me stay with him. I’d like to help him too.” Greg admitted innocently, he was still youthful and optimistic.

“I’m sure he appreciated your help with those documents, trying to do the right thing.” She saw he was smart but not extraordinary, didn’t handle pressure well but could still be useful and was definitely in need of guidance.

Greg shrugged, no one had spoken to him about what he’d done, apart from Tom who had just got really mad, but that was nothing new. “I don’t really know what to do now, like there’s not like a schedule and we don’t have an office space.”

Gerri gave a small smile, poor Greg had really been thrown in at the deep end. “You just have to try and be there, they haven’t had a lot of reassurance. Try stick with Kendall, don’t leave him alone too much. They’re like children; they throw a tantrum you wait it out, they do something good you praise them. Give him a routine or schedule and advice if he asks, try not to let him wander.”

“I thought it was the right thing at the time, thought it would be good, for me and Ken, but he’s like…” Greg frowned, he looked so young and boyish, now he at least dressed better and his hair didn’t flop down in this face, but he still seemed a little lost.”

“If you’re worried, you can talk to us, me and Rome. I know he can come accross …but he’s just worried about Ken, he’s been cleaning up after him for years. You saw him last night, he just gets angry, scared. Don’t tell him I mentioned that, don’t tell anyone. In fact don’t talk about anything that happens here and…”

“What’s said at Gerri’s stays at Gerri’s. I got ya.” He again, resisted the finger guns, instead nodding and giving a dopey smile, before lifting his mug and taking a sip.

Gerri rolled her eyes, what had this kid got himself into? “Sure, that’s one way to put it. So Kendall’s been different, do you mean since the press conference?”

Greg shook his head, “umm no, mainly in the past few weeks, he shouted at Jess and she walked out, he like made her cry and that made him cry and… he tried calling but she won’t answer… he was like so mad. It’s like he like can’t bear being at home, so we’ve been going out a lot.. I don’t always want to but… sometimes Naomi comes but sometimes not..”

“Hey, take a breath.” Gerri smiled and Greg took a drink of his coffee, still in his hands. “Do you know why he was mad? Was it something Jess did? Or was she just the nearest person?” Gerri questioned, trying to work out if Jess would go back to work for Kendall independently of Waystar, whether as Roman had said, it would be a good idea to have someone to keep watch over them.

Greg’s face was adorned with his dopey smile again, Gerri couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen someone genuinely smile at her, apart from Roman, there was too much going on, too much stress. “I don’t think it was her, she’s really great, like super organised. She showed me how to do some stuff, to help Ken and she’d give me like things to do if like we had a meeting or something coming up… but since she’s been gone… things have slowed.” He surmised. 

Gerri looked at her phone she had placed on the table next to her mug, a notification appearing. “Oh shoot, my car is here, I’ll make some calls. Just try keep him sober as long as you can and watch out for the letters. I’ve got to head off but make yourself at home.” She stuffed the phone in her pocket and grabbed her coat and bag from near the door.

“Thank you for umm the coffee and stuff. Have a nice day, Gerri.” Greg called out as Gerri reached the front door at the end of the hallway, she turned her head and smiled at him, nodding a goodbye before opening the door and locking it from the outside.

An hour later Kendall had emerged and Greg had been sent home with a list of tasks and told to return with a change of clothes for Kendall when it was completed. Greg had ordered a bike to take him home and was secretly excited for a bacon sandwich and a spliff to ease his hangover before going to check on his apartment.

Kendall looked up at Roman and accepted the mug of steaming coffee placed in his hand “What you said on the boat, before it was decided. When you defended Gerri, it was pretty brave man, stepping up like that.”

“I was ready to go to war to protect her. I still am, anytime.” Roman settled in on the opposite side of the couch and placed his own mug on a coaster in front of him, some neutral flowery design, obviously not chosen by Gerri.

“And would she do the same?”

“Urghh fuck you, she’s been fighting for me and protecting me all year. She’s even tried to protect you, fucking idiot. Do you not remember her cleaning you up last night, bringing you back in here with your fucking nosebleed, so I didn’t take a swing at you? For years she did what she had to, but it’s different now. She’s here cos she wants to be, well obviously not this apartment specifically, this is her place. I mean with me.” Roman folded his arms defensively, annoyed that he was having to explain, as if Gerri hadn’t done enough for them that week, let alone the past year or most of their lives.

“I just want you to be sure Rome, cos it won’t be easy, but if it’s good and if it’s right, you could be... fucking unstoppable together.”

“Yeah I am sure, I trust her. She’s like the smartest person I’ve ever met and she actually gives a shit about me.”

“People will have reservations, dad, Shiv… is it for power or money?”

“Gerri’s name was on the paper since that day at the Summer palace, way before we were together and dad appointed me COO on the boat, not Gerri. As for money, have you seen where she lives, do you know how much we pay her? Why is it so hard to see that we care for and appreciate each other? That she could just want me?”

“Look, you go all in and rush things, just don’t want you to get your heart broken, Roman.”

“If you care so much why have you been ignoring me?”

“I’m sorry Rome. I did t really know what to say, I didn’t wanna make you mad or upset you or whatever.” Kendall mumbled.

“Every time you do something horrible, you say you’re sorry.”

“I’m having a rough-- I was going to say year but you know what? No. I’m having a rough life. So give me a fucking break. Everything with Dad, the votes of no confidence, the bear hug. So many times I could’ve taken him out, now I have but…”

“He’s not here Ken, I’m here.”

“Why? Why’d you come for me?” He questioned. Roman should hate him, but he was always there, most of the time calling Ken a fucking idiot or making snide jokes about his divorce or Stewy or his coke habit. But often there with a spare room or a hug or a whisper of ‘it’ll be okay,’ even if it was just wishful thinking.

Roman shrugged and looked over at Kendall, he looked older, like that past year had aged him 10 times over. “You said you were lost and you were cold, I don’t like the idea of you walking down the streets all alone. Don’t want you to end up hospital or worse. It’s bad press. You really need to stop drinking so much and doing all those drugs. I’m serious.”

Kendall sighed “Being like this, it’s torture. Sometimes I wish I could just turn it off. Turn it all off.” Tears flowed down his cheeks as he tried to wipe them away with the back of his hands. Roman leaned towards him, outstretched his arm.

“Woah, what are you doing?” Kendall jumped back, startled by his brothers sharp gesture.

“I was going to hug you! ... Is that okay?” Roman asked apprehensively, they didn’t hug often, the last time they had was just before Kendall left the boat, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Uh. Yes? Yes. Okay. Sure.” Kendall lay his head on Roman’s shoulder and felt himself being enveloped in the arms of his brother, sobs escaping from his chest.

“You never fucking learn Ken. There are people who love you, you know” 

"People are jerks, but not you. Not really.”

“You keep that to yourself, I’m widely known as a horrible person, remember? Got a bad boy reputation to protect. Fucking Greg sprinkles.”

Kendall lifted his head and shuffled back in the chair, trying his best to hold back tears, to muster a laugh at Roman’s comment.

“He’s actually a good kid, he tries to help. Things were tense on the boat and then afterwards everything was like 100 miles an hour, he hasn’t left my side.”

“You were doing good you were fricking everywhere, magazines, chat shows, the news, Twitter… What’s changed? It’s like you had a plan and it just ran out. You’ve let Jess go and you’re talking to Stewy. But you won’t talk to me and Shiv? What’s happened Ken?” Roman ranted, never able to keep his anger about Kendall under wraps, always frustrated that Kendall kept repeating the same mistakes.

A tear ran down Kendall’s cheek, he had always been the one who cried the most, always felt things more than the others. “I keep getting these letters, they just say Kendall on the front, no postal marks, no finger prints or saliva on the envelopes.”

“You’re pushing everyone away and hitting the self destruct button because of some bad fan mail? Nah that can’t be it. Tell me, I’m not your enemy.” Roman softened, remembered what his therapist had sad, that anger would push people away, to take a breath.

“I only self-destructed myself a little bit. The letters, they say ‘I know what you did’.”

“Ok so what is it? I know dad has been leaking all those stories, what hasn’t come out yet? There’s been all the drug stuff, the shoplifting, the cheating rumours… what else is there?” Roman counted on his fingers the stories he could remember as he spoke. 

“I can’t tell you Rome, like legally, you’d be… like an accessory or some shit… and you’d never look at me in the same way and my kids, I’ve damaged them enough.” Kendall stuttered, so far removed from the confidence he had eluded in the office and on TV.

“Isn’t that why did all this, to bring Dad down and make things better for the future. To keep you outta jail to be there for your kids, little weirdos that they are.” Roman laughed, he had always been the weird kid, tried to own it now he was older, was glad to see the trait hadn’t stopped with him.

“I haven’t been taking my time with them much, I’ve been ashamed. I’ve been on a come down or hungover or a story had just come out. So I thought it was best.. I’m trying to protect them.”

“Don’t they deserve to have a Dad, even one that needs to be dried out a little?”

“Yeah I don’t want to be without them, don’t want them to feel the way we have, like they need to prove themselves, earn my love.”

“They’ll only think that if you’re absent and only seeing them once or twice a year, feel like the have to impress you or what ever, fight for your attention. Sound familiar? Don’t you miss them? Like you used to live with them.” Roman asked, he wasn’t normally good at all this emotional stuff, but he hoped Kendall would relent at the mention of his kids.

“Yeah I do, miss them everyday.” Kendall sighed, remembering the last time he had seen his kids sober, he’d gone over to the house after school 3 weeks before. “They’re such fun little weirdos, Sophie is really sweet, she wants to be a writer or a dancer, at least she did the last time I saw her. Iverson is so smart, he knows way too much about like really specific things like rocks and sea creatures. He really loves science.”

“Wow are you sure they’re yours, they sound like total nerds. Think they need a little Roy influence, inject a bit of fun. Shall we buy them a load of balloons? Or nerf guns or an Xbox each, teach them to kill some zombies. Try bribe them before they learn to hate us?” Roman cackled, he hadn’t spent much time with Kendall’s kids it they seemed alright, didn’t seem to have inherited the Roy arrogance and were still open to light bribery.

“You know when I told Iverson you were launching a rocket, that was all he drew pictures of for like a month. He reminds me of you when we were kids, weird and fidgety, he doesn’t know when to be quiet or still, but he just wants to share, just wants to be heard. He’s started making jokes too, no where near as horrible as yours though.”

“Nah he could never live up to my horrible legacy, never be as cool as ol Uncle Roman. Rava won’t let it happen.”

“Gerri was funny last night. I’ve never thought of her as funny before, in all these years. What was it, oh yeah ‘the senate hearings and death cruise were the worst week in memory and I’ve been at Waystar 30 odd years and my husband is dead.’ That was dark man, I see why you get along, she’s just as dark and twisted as you.”

“Yeah she has this thing where if it her house it’s her rules, she’s just gonna do whatever she wants. It’s nice, she relaxes a little bit, isn’t so corporate and serious. Sometimes I can even get her to watch tv with me that’s not the news.” Roman smirked and raised his eyebrow in triumph.

“How do you even get yourself to sit and watch TV, fidgety fuck?”

Roman casually shrugged, the answer was Gerri, he just wanted to be next to her, if she was on the couch watching tv, that’s where he wanted to be too. So he went to therapy and took the medication so he could sit still for more than five fucking seconds. Obviously this was not what he said. “It’s a mix of medication, therapy and bribery I think. I’ve been watching this cool show about like this criminal family..”

“Is it The Sopranos? Cos I already watched that with Stewy, it came out like 20 years, we watched it when we were....”

“Yeah I don’t care, fucking interrupting. This is a British show, it’s called Peaky Blinders, it’s set after the First World War and there’s like this family of 4 brothers and they run a business, they start with bookmaking but they have like violence on the side.”

“I haven’t heard of it, sounds good though. Who doesn’t love a family business and a little bit of violence!”

“Well we’ll need the subtitles on cos they’re not English like mom, they’re from this city called Birmingham, it’s like the original one and they have these funny accents and…”

“Yeah just put it on, if I’m gonna be held hostage here I may as well be entertained, save you bugging the life out of me with your fucking questions.”

They’d silently watched the first half of series 1, Roman lounging with his legs dangling over the arm of the sofa and Kendall scrunching himself up in the opposite corner, his chin resting on his knees, his eyes not leaving the screen.

“You know, when me and Gerri watch this, we try work out who everyone is.”

“Huh, Gerri likes this show?”

“Yeah I think she knows bit about toxic masculinity in a family business, minus the guns. I think she likes the outfits too, who doesn’t love a man in a waistcoat?”

“The music is pretty cool too.”

“Yeah there was a guy I worked with in films worked on it, was all over his Instagram, just thought it looked awesome.”

“So. I’m Tommy, second oldest, presumed heir, only one with a brain cell.” Kendall proclaimed.

“Eurghh no, you’re Arthur or John, probably Arthur, he even does lines like you, look. Thinks he’s in charge cos he’s oldest, wrong. I’m Tommy, always rescuing everyone, keeping things going at the top.” Roman argued, flicking Kendall’s leg above his head.

“Woah no way are you Tommy, you’re John, bouncy as fuck and Tabitha is that chick he wants to marry!”

“What is everyone’s thing with me getting married?”

“What is your thing with getting married? You just ask anyone who talks to you for more than five minutes, see if they bite?” Kendall taunted, he’d never quite understood where Roman got the idea that proposing was the best way to get people to stay.

“Shut up, are we watching this or?”

“Fine, fine, I’ll say no more about it!”

“Wait til you see who he actually gets married to, him and his wife have crazy Kendall and Naomi vibes, two warring families, all over each other all the fucking time. I think you’re more John, maybe not quite as violent as Arthur.”

“But he was just like ‘cut em a smile each.’ How are you not seeing that as violent?” Kendall laughed.

“Plus he has the kids and stuff and you would totally leave your gun lying around, get a slap from Aunt Pol.” Roman continued, actually enjoying the conversation now it was leaning away from him getting married.

“Ha they’re normally reserved for you. Shiv is totally Ada though, using the family name when she wants something or to scare someone. Throwing a strop when we’re in trouble and attending the family meetings when she thinks she’s gonna get something from it.”

“Yeah funny how she was all like ‘I’m not in the company’ and then got dad literally to listen to her over all of us who were in the company. But I’m definitely Tommy, we both have a hot blonde girlfriend who’s secretly smarter than everyone and hides us away in her apartment away from cops/paparazzi. Tick!” Roman beamed, he really had struck lucky with Gerri, he sort of liked that no one knew how brilliant she really was.

“Shiv know about you and Gerri? She isn’t speaking to me really so…”

“Umm no, we’re trying to work out how to tell her so she doesn’t go straight to Dad and get all territorial over Gerri, like everyone will, ‘she’s my godmother, she’s my general counsel, she’s my best friend’ blah blah.”

“So no one knows?”

“No except you and Greg, that’s how it has to stay. Oh also Karolina, she worked it out cos I’m a subtle as a penthouse on fire apparently and Gerri started being a little nicer to everyone and she smiled at me a few times.”

“Ha penthouse on fire, that’s good, Karolina say that? Kendall chuckled, he couldn’t have described his brother any better himself.

“Nah it was Gerri, I guess she is pretty funny. She was at little annoyed at the time though, said I had to stop looking at her so much, being so obvious, until Karolina pointed out that we just looked happy. At the office things are a lot less tense; no dad and threats of being fired looming over everyone.”

“Karolina’s right, you’re always like, flirting and making all your wise cracks, but Gerri smiling at you? No wonder it was fucking game over man!”

“People would probably think something was up if I stopped flirting with everyone, especially Gerri. She just has to remember to roll her eyes every once in a while, bat me away.”

“It’s weird when you’ve known someone a long time and then you see them differently, like another side to them. Never thought she’d go nowhere near you.”

“Fucking tell me about it.”

Kendall looked back to the screen, Tommy is running towards his car, his little brother Finn sat in the front seat pretending to turn the steering wheel. He felt surprisingly calm, he had been struggling to focus on anything and had taken to hiding in amidst chaos at parties and nightclubs, trying to block it all out; the pain and anger, the fear. The fact that he was sat watching TV with his little brother strung over the space next to him with only coffee on the table in front of them, would have been impossible even a week before, it felt good.

“I know it doesn’t work with the ages and order of ages, but Connor is totally the little one, Finn is it?” Kendall smirked, it was almost comforting to see another families problems, although not as corporate as theirs but just as explosive, in this case literally.

Roman laughed “I was actually thinking that, same maturity level and sense of reality, never mind he’s like, ten! We have this theory that he’s their half brother, but they don’t make a big deal out of it the way we do. We think his mom died too and that’s why their dad left.”

“Wow look at you putting your time in films to good use, didn’t know you had an analytical bone in your body.” Kendall nudged him playfully with his foot.

“Shut up, I have skills, I’ve done all sorts of training. Another theory is that Uncle Charlie is Frank, poor guy. You know, always trying to guide us in the right direction but with stupid misguided loyalty to the king.” 

“I thought you hated Frank.”

Roman sat up and crossed his legs, running a hand through his hair, “As a mentor he wasn’t a good match for me, just felt like he was always disappointed in me, disappointed that I wasn’t you. Like he was wasting his time with the playboy spare, instead of the prodigal heir to the throne.”

Kendall stretched out his legs in front of the sofa and leaned his head over to face Roman, tapping his cheek. “Yeah I only had Connor to live up to, wasn’t hard to exceed expectations, whereas you had to follow me, must have hard man…” Kendall quipped sarcastically, he’d been nothing but a disappointment to his father too, at least Frank had shown him love and encouragement, believed in him. “You been talking to Frank?”

Roman shrugged and ducked out of Kendall’s way as he ruffled his hair, “Get off, idiot! I’m a real boy now, him and Gerri are friends so I deal with him a little bit on rare occasions, for her.”

“So you told him about you two?”

“Not exactly, I’ve only see him twice and I managed to control myself, he’s not even in the country right now. Him and Gerri mainly talk on the phone.”

“God I can’t even remember a time when Frank wasn’t around, even all those times he got fired, he always stayed in touch, checked in with me, was always on my side.” Kendall mused, Frank had been more of a father to him than Logan ever was.

“He’s actually a good guy, just annoying, still calls me kiddo. He’s been asking about you Gerri says, misses you Ken. He’s not in Waystar anymore, he’s in Italy I think.”

“You think I should call him?”

“Yeah you could plan a little reunion at pierce palace, if you’re allowed in. Hey maybe this weekend? Leave me the fuck alone.” Roman mocked, he could literally think of nothing worse than dinner with the pierce’s, although revisiting his and Gerri’s activities at Tern Haven could be interesting.

“Oh yeah they let me in for the food and the fucking Shakespeare recitals and birthdays, but not the family votes. They’re boring anyway and Nan always steals Naomi away.”

“So Frank could be a much needed ally?” 

“Well they still like him so, probably. I actually have plans this weekend though and before you anything it’s with the kids, my last chance. Sophie has a dance show on Saturday morning, no you don’t have to come and I have them both for the afternoon until 5.” Kendal smiled proudly, how had his kids turned out so arty and talented?

“What you gonna do with them, don’t think kids are fun on benders, they can’t get in anywhere and they get lost in crowds. And you do realise you have to be sober to take care of kids, it’s like the law or something.”

“Well I’m gonna take them to lunch, probably Fred’s, bring Naomi too.” Kendall stated simply, as if there would be no issues with him going out in public with his girlfriend and kids. 

“Ooh photo op! How did you think of that all by yourself, cos I know you don’t have anyone doing your PR or whatever?”

“No fuckface, we’ll go in the back way. You think I want my kids growing up with cameras flashing on their faces? No one to protect them? It panics Iverson, he hides away, won’t come out from under his bed if he sees them.” Kendall huffed, he could take whatever Roman wanted to call him but his kids, they hadn’t asked for any of it.

“Fuck, sorry man, Gerri’s working on it but I got asshole genes so can’t fight it … Hey you remember Frank you used to try cover us with his coat and give us his hats so we could hide and wouldn’t get scared by the cameras outside Dad’s house. He’s worried about you man, loves you and he isn’t only one.”

“Yeah alright I’ll call Frank, he always tried his best for us and yeah he did tried shield us from stuff when we were kids. I seem to remember if we got caught by cameras, you always used to zip and unzip your coat until we were away and you’d count all the times.”

“Yeah well a lots changed since then, I know how to work it now. Smile and wave, little flirt on the way past. I just don’t want them to go crazy at Gerri, she isn’t really used to it, but it’s gonna blow up when we go public. She’s done so much for me, I wanna protect her but I don’t wanna have to hide forever.”

“Aww man you’re so screwed.” Kendall grinned, Roman did not get like this about his girlfriends, as far as he was concerned normally, they could fend for themselves or fuck off.

“Huh? Not this week, since you keep turning up!”

“You’re like the human embodiment of heart eyes and she’s not even here.”

“Oh sorry for wanting to protect my girlfriend from paparazzi, you better not fucking tell anyone, we need to control the narrative or it’ll all be fucked. You have to go home tonight and stay there, we got a lot of time to make up.”

“Woah Mr serious boyfriend! I won’t tell a soul, promise. Not used to seeing you like this over a woman.”

“At least I don’t look like a fucking zombie, rather be heart eyes then dead eyes!”

“What about frog eyes?”

“Fuck off, you do know you’re gonna have to be clean and sober to see Sophie and Iverson at the weekend or Rava won’t give you anymore chances with them, seriously.”

“I know man. No celebratory drinks or bumps when Naomi comes back. She’s excited to see them too…”

Roman looked at him, a serious look adorning his face Ken had rarely seen before. “You don’t need to do all that stuff the coke and whatever, if that’s all she wants to do then she’s not fucking worth it. You know there’s other ways to celebrate your girlfriend coming home, please don’t make me draw you a diagram.”

“Err you’re ok Rome, I had a wife and kids, I know how it goes. In fact I’m the one who first taught you all about it. The drugs and the going out and stuff… sometimes you just need to forget everything, you know.”

“I dunno what it is that’s haunting you but all that stuff isn’t the answer. You need to get some help, I mean you need to work on your listening skills, but that’s a family trait. You were doing good man, almost looked like a functioning human being.”

“I was thinking I could see someone in the city, so I can be around for the kids and maybe for you, Shiv and Connor if they’ll ever talk to me again. Gerri said she could make a call.” Kendall considered, he had been to rehab before and it had helped for a while, maybe it could help again, he just needed a little nudge.

“Oh is that Gerri who’s just in it for money and power, caring if the guy who could have gotten her sent to jail and has landed her with a whole load of hassle, can get clean so he can see his kids?”

“Yeah that’s her, maybe she does have a heart, maybe you’ve thawed the ice queen.”

Roman shook his head, Gerri put on a tough and hard public face, but that wasn’t all she was. “Don’t say that about her, she’s had to be ruthless, how do you think she’s held her own all these years?”

“I know man I’m joking, she was actually nice to me last night, not used to Gerri outside work.”

“How many other woman have been around the board room as long as she has? And you tried to make her the scapegoat for all the horrible shit she had no part of and tried to stop.”

“Rome I told you, it wasn’t about her or you, it was about me and Dad and taking him down, making him pay for what he’s done to all of us.” Kendall insisted, he wished so much that Roman hadn’t been tangled up in the taking down of their father and the trouble in Waystar. He wished he could make him understand, but some days he wasn’t sure himself anymore. 

“So what the fuck has happened? Cos you know what the letters talking about, don’t you Ken?”

“Every time I get one of them, it scares the shit out of me. I can’t tell you Rome, it’s for your own good. There’s only Dad knows and Colin and they promised that no one would find out if I pulled out of the bear hug.”

“Oh fuck. Does Stewy know about it?”

“No no one else. That’s why I can’t stay in, they know where I live, what if they come after me? I can blend in with a crowd and… I don’t wanna talk about it anymore. Just leave it the fuck alone. You can’t do anything, can fix it.”

“Well then you need to get away, after the senate hearings, you need to not be here. Fuck off in the sun, Malibu or the desert for 2 weeks or 3 months or however long the programmes are. Tell the kids you’re going on a work trip and that you’ll be away a while and then you’ll be back for good.”

“And then what? The letters build up or they follow me? What if Dad goes to the police?” Kendall’s eyes bulged with panic and his palms began to sweat. 

“When you come back there’ll more than likely be criminal charges against Dad up to his neck and then they’ll arrest him. whatever he has on you will look petty and that he’s grasping at straws. It won’t stand up, he won’t be reputable source. At least think about it, the sun, the sea, fuck ton of therapy.”  
“If I think about, will you shut up and we can just go back to watching tv again? I actually like this show.”

“Fine but you better actually better do something, not picking you up off anymore sidewalks or bathroom floors.”

“I’m still amazed you’ve sat still for this long. Is it their hats that you like or the guns? You better not tell anyone you’ve made me cry like three times.”

“Don’t need to, everyone knows you’re a huge crybaby anyway. I haven’t cried since I was like 9.”

“You cried when you left for military school, you were what fifteen….”

“Oh look it’s started again, shut the fuck up.”

Greg arrived back after ten minutes of silence and threw a sandwich wrapped in foil at both of them before plumping down on the couch furthest away from the door, stripping off his coat and resting it on the arm of the chair before tucking into his own sandwich.

“What’s this?” Roman asked, turning it around in his hands and sniffing the foil.

“Umm it’s a hot beef sandwich from the deli on the corner, I thought you guys might be hungry.”

Kendall nodded and began unwrapping the foil on his sandwich, Roman following suit suspiciously. “Thanks Greg, this looks good. We’re just watching this show, Peaky Blinders, have you seen it?”

“Oh yeah it’s really cool, I think I’ve seen quite a bit of it. I had a British roommate before I moved back to my moms year before last who was obsessed with it. He even got one the hats, not with a blade sewn in though.”

Gerri unlocked the door and walked into the hallway, Roman bounced towards her and planted a quick kiss on her lips. “There she is! You’re early!”

“Hey” she smiled at him as they walked into the living room, Gerri taking off her coat and Roman hanging it up as she shuffled off her shoes.

“Hey Gerri.” Kendall nodded in greeting.

“Oh you’re all still here.”

“Umm I left earlier but then Ken said to come back..” Greg stuttered, he still didn’t have the entitlement of the Roy’s, Gerri hoped he would stay that way.

“We’re just watching TV, I was showing Ken Peaky Blinders.”

“Rome, you watched it without me?” Gerri teased, resting her hands on the nearest couch

“No, well yeah, but Kendall hadn’t seen it so we started from the beginning. He doesn’t even know who Alfie is yet or Michael.”

“Hmm ok then, I guess that’s alright.” She smirked at him, secretly thrilled that he was there, that she had come home to him.

“Hey you wanna order in?” Roman smiled and winked at her.

“Sure, I’m just gonna go change, put my things away.” Gerri tittered and walked to the hallway leading to her bedroom, feeling Roman’s eyes following her.

“Ew is that a sex thing? Are you guys gonna go do a weird sex thing?” Kendall chuckled, he was being an ass, but it had been so long before that day that he had laughed so freely.

Roman shoved Kendal and jumped up out of his seat and ambled backwards in the direction Gerri had gone “Shut up idiot, I mean all of us. But it was a code when we started.. like seeing each other, we’d say at the office, ‘you wanna order in’ and that would mean we’d go to one of our apartments to do work and stuff and normally we’d order food too.”

Roman followed Gerri into her bedroom where she had removed her jacket and was unbuttoning her blouse.  
“I missed you today, is that sad? How was your day?” He shifted on the balls of his feet, not wanting to seem needy.

“No I missed you too, it was a lot quieter in the office today. I actually managed to get some work done, kept the numbers ticking over. How did it go with Kendall today? I see you’re both still alive and it doesn’t look like either of you have shed any blood.” She asked, changing into loose linen trousers and a navy jumper.

“It was ok, it was nice to just hang out, he’s still a dick but I think he needs help. He keeps getting these letters, they say ‘I know what you did.’”

“And what did he do?” She asked, placing her arms around Roman’s neck as his came to rest around her waist.

“He won’t tell me, he says he can’t involve me, it’s better legally if he protects me from it.”

“The letters are from your dad though, right? So Logan knows what he’s done and he’s holding it over him. Is that why he’s spun out so much this week?” Gerri puzzled, attempting to explain Kendall’s sudden change in behaviour.

“Yeah I think so, he says that it freaks him out being in his apartment, cos they’re watching, they know where he lives. But if he goes out, he can blend in with a crowd and sometimes he just needs to forget.”

“Hmm ok, I agree he needs help. Greg told me about the letters too, Kendall won’t tell him what they’re talking about either. But he’ll tell me if he does find out or if the letters start saying anything else.”

“You just have one of those faces that means everyone wants to tell you their deepest darkest secrets and desires.” Roman leaned in and kissed her, soft and chaste, only pulling back slightly so their noses were almost touching.

“Well you better hope that they go home tonight or our desires will be staying a secret…”

“Yeah I’ll throw them out after we eat. I’m bored of them now but think you were right we need to work out a way to be a family. Ken opened up a little today, it felt a start at least.”

“It’ll probably be easier after your Dad’s trial, he won’t be able to pit you all against each other. There won’t be anymore boar on the floor or you and Ken fighting for my job, definitely no more death cruises.” She laughed, it was bittersweet, all Logan had wanted was them to be all together in his own horrible twisted way, it was almost ironic that it was only possible when he wasn’t around.

“Yeah, just have to hope Shiv comes round, it would be weird to have to see them all separately, well her and Kendall, I think Connor is just mad he didn’t get anymore money for Willa’s weird theatre stuff.”

“Won’t be a problem now, you know Kendall actually laughed last night when I told him Connor and Willa were in charge of the RECNY. I think you all got hurt by your dad and he taught you all to take it out on each other, but there’s love there still.”

“Kendall said I was brave on the boat, when I defended you and told Dad the money was bullshit. I told him I was ready to go to war for you, that I still am, anytime.”

“You were brave, little Roy found his voice, you want a sticker for being such a a brave boy?”

Roman grinned with childlike glee “Uh yeah you know I buzz off stickers! But for future reference I prefer to be rewarded with lollipops and blowjobs or other sex stuff.”

“Ok noted lollipops and blowjobs, completely inappropriate for the office though. Rome you don’t need a start a war for me, but if you did I’d be right there beside you. Now shoo, go make sure they haven’t set anything on fire or made a run for it.” She put a hand to his chest and kissed him before pushing him away.

Roman huffed and wandered backwards out of the room, “But don’t be long, haven’t spend this much time with Kendall alone since we were teenagers, I’m starting to remember why. And little Roy, rude bitch.”

When he reentered the living room, Kendall and Greg were huddled around Kendall’s phone, “Gerri says you can’t hang out here anymore, make the place look untidy.” Roman leaned over the back of the nearest couch to him, swinging his legs over the top and plonking down into the seat. Kendall looked up “Oh and you and all your crap hanging isn’t around making things messy?”

“Ooh that’s so funny. Greg how messy is Kendall to live with? Isn’t Ken the messiest person you’ve ever lived with?”

“Greg lived with his mom before he came here, doesn’t count so shut up!”

“Actually I lived in college dorms for a bit and you are even messier than that man. Your parents never make you tidy your bedrooms when you were kids? You never get grounded?” Greg laughed, he didn’t not want to get in the middle of them, even if Roman was being nicer than usual, things still had the potential to turn nasty.

“Nah we weren’t really grounded, we were just sent away if we did anything our parents disagreed with. Oh and Kendall was banned from seeing Stewy.” Roman divulged, pulling his knee up to his chest and picking at some fluff on his trouser leg.

“Yeah it was boarding school when we were kids and then countless internships in the summers and stuff. He is right though, my main punishment was no Stewy, had to sneak out the service entrance to see him. Hey who do you think Stewy is, in this?” Kendall pondered, gesturing to the TV.

“Well chequered history, best friends with obvious sexual and other tension, if you think you’re Tommy, then he’s Freddie. Unfortunately when our version of the pub blew up, he just scuttled away.”

“Haha funny, just cos you can count all your friends on one hand and Gerri doesn’t count!”

“Me and Gerri were friends, we made friends in Japan and you used to count Rava, wives don’t count.”

Kendall parrots back “We made friends in Japan. What are you? Six?” 

“Seven, actually.” Roman pulled a face and blew a raspberry at Kendall, mature as ever.

“God you are annoying.”

“Anyway what I was trying to say, is the other option is that Stewy is Alfie, who you’ll meet once we get back to watching this.” Roman gestured dramatically, turning his hand in the air.

Greg leaned back in the chair and shuffled down, casually remarking “I think so too, I’ve seen up to season four, he has like the same kind of arrogance and he speaks that weird kind of way where you’re not sure if he’s making a joke or he’s about to kill you.”

“God you’re actually right Greg, he’s got that thing to where he’s hot until he opens his mouth and he ruins it.” Roman chuckled, in disbelieve at stupid cousin Greg actually making sense and not saying, like, five hundred times before getting to the point. 

Kendall’s cheeks flushed pink but he couldn’t help the smile curling on his lips. “Ok now I wanna see this guy, turn it back on. Wait you think Stewy is hot? Both of you?” He looked between them, frowning in confusion, sure they were just making fun of him.

Roman rolled his eyes “Uh no, maybe when I was like nineteen and he was swaggering around in the summer house, following you around in only little swim shorts.”

“Shut up about him then or I’ll tell Gerri your little crush has been reignited. Anyway who’s Gerri, she’s gotta be Aunt Pol right? Present situation with you excluded.” Kendall teased, anxious to move the subject away from his much missed best friend. He had visited Stewy after the press conference and spoken once or twice since, only meeting face to face again the night before. 

“Scary boss lady, yeah totally has Polly vibes.” Greg nodded, she was a lawyer so he somehow always felt like he was questioned. But she had been kind to him when he had called her about Kendall, he trusted her and had seen for himself she was a woman who got things done.

Gerri floated into the room and joined Roman on the couch he was sprawled on, tucking her legs to the side, getting comfortable. She looked at the couch cushion behind Roman and tugged at it until it was back in its rightful position. 

“Did you swing your legs over my expensive couch again?” She raised an eyebrow at Roman, he was incapable of sitting anywhere properly and just loved climbing over her couch like an overgrown kid, just because it annoyed her.

“Yeah it’s fun. Kendall and Greg think you’re aunt Pol.” He beamed at her, tracing a pattern with his finger on her foot resting near his leg. 

“I’ll take that, strong woman quietly running things whilst the men fight each other. Holder of the purse strings and dark company secrets. Big house in the country to retire to.”

“Which makes sense, but I think you could also be season 1 Grace. Hot blonde who’s secretly smarter than everyone and hides me away in her apartment away from cops/paparazzi.”

“Hmm series one yes, we’ll have to see what happens later, they won’t need to hide forever. Although if you compare Tommy’s season 2 London plan to your Dad wanting to buy PGM, you could see us as John and Esme, the only people saying no. Plus Esme is in the meeting but they don’t see her as a real member of the family and they don’t really listen even though she has a unique insight because she isn’t a blood relative.”

“Have you been thinking about this? That’s some detail Ger.”

“Oh yeah I’ve had plenty of time in between my own daily meetings, the meetings with legal preparing for the senate and Logan’s criminal case, answering 5000 emails and covering for the COO too. Where do you wanna order from?”

“Per se?” Kendall suggested.

Roman scrunched up his face in disgust, remembering the times he had been dragged there for business dinners or ‘gatherings’ with people who had no sense of fun in his opinion. “Eww no, fucking waspy shit, white tablecloths and fucking business casual, can’t roll your sleeves up and risk exposing an elbow to New York’s elite!”

“We’re not going there, you don’t have to see anyone, they’re bringing the food here and it’s amazing, tell him Gerri.”

“The food is really good Rome and they do that thing you like with the chicken and prawns. We can have sushi another night, any other night.”

“Come on Rome, you eat anymore sushi you’re gonna turn into a fish! That’ll be all Iverson draws for the next month, his uncle the fish!”

“Go on, let your brother buy us an expensive dinner for hiding him away up here from the police and paparazzi!”

“Oh it’s like that, is it?” Kendall mocked, he owed them way more than a fancy dinner.

Roman tilted his head back to look at Gerri, “You’ll forgive my garlic breath?”

“Yes and after you’ve eaten the garlic prawns too.” She giggled, forgetting herself for a moment, forgetting that they weren’t alone.

Kendall held his phone to Roman and rolled his eyes, “Pick what you want little Roy, it’s on me. You too Gerri.”

Roman smirked and took the phone begrudgingly, “Hmmm what have we here, nine course tasting menu.”

“It looks really cool and they don’t repeat any ingredients, like how is there like that many ingredients you can put together.” Greg uttered, he had always wanted to try cook and eat good food but had spend most of his life eating ramen and cheap meats. He was always short on money or time or space, having lived in dorms and tiny shared apartments or with his mom before New York.

“You know how long it takes to eat nine courses? Hours.” Gerri said pointedly, leaning in next to Roman and looking at the screen, careful to avoid all of their gazes. 

“Basically you’re being a moron, hurry the fuck up.” Kendall nudged Roman’s knee with his foot to hurry him up.

“No, don’t say that. We don’t call Roman that word not here or anywhere.”

“Gerri it’s ok…” his body stiffened, expecting the hit that always inevitably came. Kendall wouldn’t get it, he probably laugh or get defensive, say he could call his brother whatever he wanted.

“No it’s not, just don’t call him from that now on.” She reached across the couch and took Roman’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“What about asshole? Idiot? Those still allowed?”

Roman looked at his brother square in the eye and nodded, “Sure thing, hamlet.” Kendall returned the nod, Roman’s shoulders loosened and he let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Gerri finished tapping out her order on the phone and leaned over handed the phone back to Kendall, not letting go of Roman’s hand. “20 minutes.”

The food had come and gone and they were half way through season two, the Shelby’s had returned from London to Birmingham, they had now met both Alfie and Michael. Laughter filed the room, “Noo that’s mean, just cos he’s a little shy and stutters. That’s actually very lazy. Greg isn’t curly, I like your thinking with Frank as Charlie though.” Gerri remarked, poor Greg always the butt of the joke, hadn’t quite learnt how to return the teasing quick enough, but he was learning. “Umm I was thinking more of Michael, I’m actually good with horses and I haven’t been around here long and…” Greg suggested, Michael seemed to feel as lost in the big city as he did. 

“Yeah poor kid comes to the city looking for a job and excitement, thinks ‘I’ll go find my family, it’ll be great’ and then ends up with us.” Kendall agreed, it was only since he’d taking a step back he’d seen how awful his family had been, how things had started slipping long before Logan’s birthday.

“Yeah probably should have apologised in advance when you came to dad’s birthday!” Roman joined in, he had thought Greg was a weirdo at first glance, but he’d be pretty dumbstruck if he’d had to meet his family again.

“Nah it hasn’t been all bad, you’re not all completely horrible like I first thought. I’ve been some cool places and I got some new…”

“Oh thanks Greg, not completely horrible, is that how you’d describe living in a Manhattan apartment free for months? Hey what did they say about your apartment today?” Kendall questioned, he liked Greg but the guy needed his own space and with Naomi coming back, working and all living in the same space was becoming a little bit much.

“Umm it’s been bug free for two weeks now and they’ve finished installing the new security, they just need another day or so to make sure it’s totally fine so I can go back on Monday.”

“Hey good news man, no more lame and messy roommates!” Roman sniggered, “Maybe you’ll get lucky with your date. Can take her back to your place, no danger of bumping into Mom or Dad!” 

Gerri shifted in the seat beside him , standing up and began gathering up the takeaway containers.  
Kendall stood and moved to collect the rubbish in front of him, “Here let me help,” before following Gerri to the kitchen.

They were stood in the kitchen, by the sink the way they had been the night before. “Roy’s who help with the cleaning up, it’s something I’m still getting used to.” Gerri uttered.

“It’s the least I can do, you’ve cleaned up our mess for years and for everything this week. I’m sorry about what I said, about you and Rome, you’re the real deal I can see. I’m not gonna tell anyone, maybe just Naomi. You’d go to war for him too right?”

Gerri smiled, she could see no malice in Kendall’s face only his care for Roman and she believed his assurance. “I don’t have his flair for the dramatic, but I’ll keep fighting for him, try protect him, keep him on the right path.”

“You’re good for each other, that’s two days in a row you’ve both been nice, well as nice as someone from Waystar can be.”

“I spoke to Jess, she’s gonna call you tomorrow at 11, be awake. You have a lot of grovelling to do. She’s excellent and I think she’d be willing to come back and work with you again but you can’t treat her like that ever. All those you said that your father was, that were wrong and unforgivable, how you wanted things to change. I think you meant it.”

“I did mean it. I… I dunno what came over me, I never yelled at her before that, but…Rava was going on about the kids and the fucking letters and I just snapped.”

“Well fucking apologise and give her a huge raise, promise it’ll never happen again. I think she might have missed you and running your exciting life a little.” Gerri smirked, was her work never done? “I’ve given her some numbers and she’s gonna fix it for you to see someone, it’s one of her requests, that you get some help.”

Kendall nodded, things had been better when Jess was around, she seemed to be able to keep him focused and determined. “Sure I’ll talk to her, she always made me feel, like calm before. You’re right, she is excellent, sure you don’t wanna poach her for yourself?”

“No thanks, I’m all good for assistants. Come on, before Roman torments Greg into tears.” Gerri nodded towards the door, hoping Roman hadn’t been too harsh on Greg in his taunting.

“Yeah we should probably head home, tidy up a little before Naomi comes home tomorrow. I am thankful you know Gerri, I know I haven’t made things easy for you and Rome.

Greg stretched out his legs on the rug in front of him, “That thing before, that Gerri said, it is like a trigger cos of your Dad?”

“Fuck off Greg sprinkles.” Roman snapped instinctively, then sighed “Yeah, kind of. It’s what he’d call me before he’d slap or punch me, so my therapist advised it was best to avoid it.”

Greg looked over at him with kind eyes, he’d never seen Logan be violent to Roman but had heard countless stories from Kendall and Tom. “It’s good that you’ve identified it and can tell people not to use it, sort of protect yourself to stop things escalating.”

“Can’t always stop it but it’s easier to deal with now.”

“That’s good, I’m sorry about it though, it’s still shitty. I mean my dad was a waste of space but he never laid a hand on me, wasn’t really around much.”

“Is that why you don’t wanna say you’re gay? Cos then you’d be like your Dad and he’s a waste of space who left his kid?”

“No it’s not like that, I’m still working things out, I think I still like girls too, but not as much and…”

“Look no one cares, we’ve all dabbled, except Connor but he doesn’t really count. Only my Dad and maybe your Grandpa would be weird about it and they aren’t around. How do you know about triggers and stuff?”

“I did two semesters of a psychology degree and I like read a lot when I was smoking and stuff. I’m not gonna say anything, about you know… you’re not so bad when you don’t have an audience.”

Gerri and Kendall reentered the living room, “Thank fuck, thought he’d bored you to death.” Roman gasped dramatically.

“Not quite, just reminding him all the favours he now owes us.” Gerri pursed her lips.

“Ha whatever, we’re gonna bounce, you ready Greg?”

Greg stood up quickly, almost tripping up on his own feet, “Uh yeah thanks man.”

After a few awkward hugs, mostly instigated by Greg and one by Kendall who was trying not to cry, Gerri closed the door and they were alone. “Thank god I thought they’d never leave. You didn’t mind that they were still here, that we were still here, did you?”

“No of course not. I liked coming home to you. But with Kendall, you can’t watch him all the time and you can’t be seen with him, until the investigations are done and your dad is arrested. He needs proper help Rome.”

“You think he’ll stay sober for Sophie’s show Saturday?”

“I hope so. Jess is calling him tomorrow, so if she goes back that’s a start, she’s seems to keep him functioning. She sorted all the interviews he gave with a few days notice, all the shows and magazines, if she can keep him busy and get him to see someone then maybe, but he has to want to.”

“You didn’t have to do that, talk to Jess, I mean you’re right she was good for Kendall and he actually liked her, which is hard sometimes with an assistant. What did you promise her?” He asked, putting his hand on her hips and pulling her towards him, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders.

“I didn’t promise her anything. I asked her if she would talk to Kendall, said I thought he needed someone with her excellent records and skills, but compassion too. I advised her to negotiate a contract with him, give conditions for going back.”

“Always the lawyer. Why are be so nice and helping Kendall?”

“Because he’s your brother and you love him and I care a lot about you. Maybe if someone had helped you all years ago we wouldn’t be in this whole mess.” She softly stroked his cheek, wanting to soothe his doubts about her motives and feelings.

“Ok compassionate caring side done, what else?” He leaned into her palm and kissed it.

“At some point he might want to come back and it’s better to keep him close, then if or when that time comes, he’s more likely to ask us rather than instigate a coup or stab us in the back.”

“Ah there she is my killer bitch playing both sides. So freaking smart!” Roman giggled and turned his face to look at her.

Gerri sighed and rolled her eyes at his amusement, moving her hand down to his neck “I’m not playing both sides, I’m simply protecting our interests and trying to keep your family together. I want you to be happy and I know you can’t sleep when Kendall’s in the press and your dad’s leaked a story.”

“I am happy, I sleep better when you’re there or we’re on the phone. Thank you for trying to help with them because one day my dad will be gone and it’ll just be us. I’m so grateful for you Ger, you’re like a superwoman, you’re so hot and smarter than everyone one else and you always know what to do..”

Gerri smiles, offering a loving kiss that he tries to deepen before she pulls back with a flirtatious smile. “How grateful are you?”

“I’m very Gerri grateful. Come on we’re going to bed, we’re finally alone, little Roy and Killerman.” Roman took her hand and walked them painfully slowly to the bedroom.

“Hmm I prefer Rockstar and Molewoman.”

“Me too, it’s just for us. Now, where was I?” He brushed her hair out of her eyes and bridged the distance between them, taking her in his arms and crushing his lips against hers in a passionate kiss.


End file.
